Automatic railroad gate



July 1o, 192s. 1,676,960

v Z. MOLNAR AUTOMAT I G RA ILROAD GATE Filed Maron 4, 1927 2Isheets-sheet 1 l 46 i j l0 v w wfg r u r v n ij-EE- 4 i4 l lINVENTOR ATTORNE Y LJuly 10,1928. 1,676,960

. Z. MCLNAR AUTOMATIC RAILROAD GATE Filed Maren 4, 1927 A 2 sheets-sheer2 .wm/TOR Y. l# l Patented July 1o. 192s.

MIHALY szanoczonBoY, AND' oNE-Fomn To MIHALY eannncz.'

yAUiolitMac RAILROAD GATE.

"This invention` relates generally to .a safety device for railroadlines,yar`1d has more particular "reference'pto'fa novel automaticrailroad'fgate for use at"poihts where roads cross the' railtracks,

`The linvention has sion afnovel automatic railroad Agate which willslowl closeas atrain approaches tl1e"`gate,' and w iich'will slowlyopenaf'ter the train has passed. l

For frtherycoriprehension of the inventionand of theobjects and advanta4es thereof, `referencewllfloe had `tothe ollowing description andaccompanying d1fa\ving`,"and to the appended claims inlwbvhichthelvarious novel features l.of i the invention are Lmore particularly setforth. y y y Referring to the1 :drawingform'inga material `part of thisdis'cilosre: e I H lisa ypierspective vewlof a portion of atailroadftrafck to wjhichfthe finventionhis ap liedlgalnd for clearnesscertain details are omitted `from thisvieyv.`

Fig. 12 fis a" t'i'ansverse'vefrtical sectional view taken on the! 'line`2-2k`o`f Fie' 1 Fig. a t Switch use in uns 11,1% itinjaad Va'pfaid t6 a`filagnientary lportionfof` a rail.:y

ing. 4 is af hagmeatary side detail' view of the top weightfofftheinventiondevice.g

Fig. f5 is a, sideL 'view thereof lookmgin the direction of thevar'l'iivs `5-"5 of'lfig. `4. l

Fig. is 'a Vfragn'ifeitay,side detail "view of thebottom, orcounterweightffof vthejde- "vice, viewed from the same side "as theweight` illustrated in Fig. ,4., J

Fig. 7 isa sidevie thereof looking 1n the Fi 8 is a` fragmentary 'sidevew'fof'the weig ts hooked together. w Fig. 9 is asehematicdiagram iof'aportion. ofthe invention device, and the "wiring tl'ierefordiagrammatically. applied U thereto.

Fig. 1() is an enlarged frav n'ientary` secni view, taken n the 111161e-1061 rig. 2.

The reference numeral 10, indicates" generally a portion of Iarailroad.' track crossing `a road 11,a11`1d`a train 12 is "shown on thetrack ofthe tracks and 'across the road 11 arep'osts 13 formed at theirtopswith U-sliaped members 14,. kRods 15 are pivoted nearI onefend,as'at 16 to oiieof the Uslia'pedinenibers whilethe other ends of therods'are engages a` perspective detail viewfot engaged by` verticalrails 21 in a dugout 22 near one ofthe rails 10. The parts. are: so

ptop'of a weight 19 `formed with groovesy 2O ."zoLTAN MoLNAn. orwELLANnoNTARIo, canapa, 'Assioma 'or ONE-FOURTH VTo constructed that theweight 19 is vertically 1 slidable in the dugout 22, andA whenat thetopof the dugout, the rods 15 are downward as shown in Fig. 1, whilewhen .the welght 19 is in a position indicated by the 'dot dash lines 23in Fig.V 2, ,the rods, 15 are in a raised position indicated bythedotdash lines 15 in Fig. 1.

Communicating with' the "[dulgout a ,cavity 2l ertending cross-wise ofthel rails 10, and having an upwardly chrected portion .21 ternnnatingnear the rail 10 remote` from the dugout 22; A finger projects from"'this cavity kto a little above Athe topl ot'i the. rail and is` adaptedto be depressed bythe flange of a wheelof the train ,12 as the `trainpasses by, 'A vertical lever 26 hasga finger 25vat its upper end, andishousedin cavity 24', the `lower end of this leverubeing `connected toone end of a bar-27 in cavitygl and the bar 27 is pvotally mountedintermediate of itsends." The other end o'nthyepbarl27 is, pivotallyconnected to the, "lottoml, of .Counterweight 28 formed with side`grooves 2O engaged by therals 21.V Resilient bump,-

fersw29 are at thegbottomA ofwdugout 22' and i arevadapted to supportthe counterweight 28 "in its lowermost position.v l ,i

The top ot Kthe counterweight,Qis provided fwith `a oost opivotallysupporting The bottom ot `the weight V19 isfvprovided with. two postsbetwgenu the loworends` nof a hookm'ember'llo is pivotally stlprported.` spring support post 37 pro-A from thcwweight, and spring 38,acts

Ljust past theroa'd. `Positioned on each side `betiveenthe bottom of thepostland the end of the l'lookmember Soto normally maintain the hookmember 8G in a horizontal ,positioln 'lhecnd'ot:the hook member 36having the spring 38` attached, projects 11nderan arm 89 pivoted as at40 to the lower a hooked mem er "libymeans of shaft 32,

flll

end of an arm support 4.1 projecting vtrom the weight 19. `The other endof the arm 39 is urged upwardsagainst a stop arm 4Q by the action o1 ayspring 123 acting between thestop arm and ,the arm 3:19, the stop armprojectingfrom the bottom of, the .weight 19. A latch member 411 engagesunder the arm 39 locking that side ot the arm vtrom downward motion.This latch member il is supported intermediate o1 its 4ends by a latch.arm support -15 depending fronrthe weight 19."` A solenoid' #to suitablysupported from the weight 19 is adapted upon being energized `to drawthe top of the latch member `so1 that the latch member frees the arm 39permitting down 'ard motion thereoi The hook 111ember 36 is formed witha cam surface 17 ada )ted to bend thehooltL member 31 on its; pivot 3Qagainst the action ot springs 33, when the counterweight :28 is forcedupwards, so that the hook member 31 engages and locks onto hook member36.

Projecting from the top ot thc weight 19 are horizontal arms 48connected to c vlinders t9 ofdash pots haring (reactingr cylinders'Oequipped with air b vpasscs 51.

Attwo points in one otthe rails 1t), one otthe points being positionedconsiderably ahead of the cross road 11, and the other behind the cross"road 11, certain switches arelocated, generally referred to by numerals52 in Fig. V1,1vl1ile Fig. shows details thereof. The rail 10 is broken,and in the break there are a pair ot insulators 51, and

55, between which a conductor 56 is slid-ably arranged. The conductor 56is normally urged u wards by a spring 57,` so that the top of tieconductor projects slightly above the rail. Terminals 58 are attached tothe side of the conductor.

A source of electric current, such as battery 60, has one `lead 61grounded to that portion of rail 10 between the. switching de'- vices52. The otherlead 62 is connected with solenoidfMS, this lead (S2 beingvery slack to permit of the weight 19 moving as necessary in the dugout.A branch lead G3 from the lead 62 contacts with a. contact 611- on theside of the weight 19. From solenoid i 46 theeireuit continues throughlead (55 to a contact GG on the weight 19. The contact 66 engageablewith another lcontact (37` supported from the wall of the dugoutthereafter the circuit continues through lead 68`to one of the terminals58 of switch 52. while branch (39110111 5S connects with terminal 58 ofthe other switch 52. A branch 7 O from lead 68 connects with a solenoid71 upon being energized being ca- )able of moviner an arm 72 to releaseweight 19 from its uppermost position. This arm 72 is pivotally attachedto the side of the dugout 252 and urged outwards to lock the weight 19kin raised position by a spring 73 eoaxially on thc pivot ot `the arm;The circuit continues troni solenoid 71 through lead 7l to a contact7.-1 011 the side o1 the dugout QQ. Contacts trt and 71`cngage eachother when the weight 19 in its uppermost. position.

Concerning the 1peration of the device, attention is directed thatnm'malljy with no trains in sight. o1 the gate, the arms 15 ot the gateare in a position indicated inFig. l bv dotalash line lo. 'l'he weightQ8 is hooked to the bottom ol weight 19 which is in its lowermostposition as shown in Fig. `9. Vhenf a train approaches the gate itswheels ride over one of the switches 52. depressing conductor 5G andshort cireuitingr the insulator :T1-l so that a complete circuit existsfrom the battery ('10, lead 61, rail` 1t). train wheel, conductor 5G,lead (19, lead (3S,

contact G7, titi, lcad (35, solenoid llo. ahdlead l G2 to battery G9.'1` he energized solenoid iti, draws the top olii; latch -ll so thatthe. bottom of the latch tf1 moves 1" rom under arm 39. mitted throughthe hooked member 11 moves the contacting end ot hook member iti down`The weight of weight Q8 trans` wards, since the other end of the hookmember 3G may move upwards moving one end of arm 39 upwards, and thejust released portion .of the ar'ln moves downwards. The weight 28 thenfalls to the bottom of the dugout against the bumpers 29. Spring 43 actsto replace arm 39 to its original position, spring 3S acts to replacehook member 3G, and a tension spring 45 acts to replace latch vmember411. The weight of the rods 154 act. to move the weight 19 upwards toits top position, since this weight is notsutli cient to hold the rods15 in a nearly yvertical position. `The dash pots connected to the'giving warning that the rods 15 are coming down.

By the time thetrain reachesthe road 111,

thev bars 15 have closed the road. The

flanges of thewhcels of the train, pass and depress finger 25, movingVlever Q6 down-` wards, which move one end ot lever 27' downwards. Theother end of lever 27 -weight 19 regulate the speed of the decline movesthe weight QS upwards, and hoolted,`

member 31 catches on the hook 3G so that weight Q8 is attached to weight19. The arm 72 holds the weight 19 in its top posi tion.

As the train passes over the other ofthe my invention with some degreeof particu-` larity, I realize that in practice various alterationstherein may be made. I therefor reserife the right and privilege ofchanging the details of construction or altering vthe arrangement of thecorrelated parts Awithout departing from the spirit or the scope of theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by United States Let-ters Patent is:

1. An automatic railroad gate. comprising a gate, a pair of Weights tooperate the gate, means for releasing the bottom one of said Weights toclose the gate, means for re` attaching the Weights leaif'ing the gateclosed, and means for releasing both ot the weights to open the gate.

2. An automatic railroad gate, comprising a gate, a pair ot Weights tooperate the gate,

means for releasing the bottom one ofsaid Weights to close the gate,means 'for reattacliing the Weights leaving the gate closed, and meansfor releasing both of the Weights to open the gate, the top one of saidWeights being associated with dash pot action.

3. An automatic railroad gate comprising a gate, a flexible cableconnected thereto, a pair ot' Weights to operate the Gate, the topweight oi said pair oit' Weights being con nected to the cable, meanstor releasing the bottom one of said Weights to close the gate, meanstor reattaching the Weights leaving the gate closed, and means forreleasing lboth ot the Weights to open the grate.

11. An automatic railroad gate, comprising a pair of gates, flexiblecables connected to each of the gates, idler pulleys tor guiding thecable, a pair ot Weights to operate the gates, the top weight of saidpair of Weights being connected to the cables, means for reY leasing thebottom one ot' said Weights to close the gate, means 'for reattachingthe Weights leaving the V`gate closed. and means for releasing both otthe Weights to open the gate.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature.

ZOLTAN MOLNAR.

